Themis Network – Stage 2: Promoting regional cooperation in SEE via networking within the authorities responsible for the environment and justice sectors

Short Description:

Overall goal

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, and Kosovo are facing major difficulties in the implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, resulting in inefficient environmental protection and loose natural resource management.

The proposed project, in the form of the platform for cooperation called THEMIS Network, is the follow-up of a successful ADC intervention and aims at strengthening regional cooperation via developed environmental law enforcement mechanisms targeting the environment and justice sectors, in line with the EU Accession process. The services proposed are tailored to the priorities of the beneficiary countries, as reflected in the Multi-Annual Work Programme for 2014-2016. The project includes Moldova to transfer knowledge and experience from the SEE region.

The project will enhance cross border regional cooperation, develop institutions and skills, and improve environmental governance through national cooperation between enforcement institutions in the THEMIS Network countries.

2) Developed institutional capacities and knowledge transfer in the beneficiary institutions as regards natural resources management and combating environmental crimes

3) Developed multi-agency networking within the countries through experience and best practices exchange.

The project will directly involve 200 policymakers and legislators from Ministries of Justice and Environment, judges and prosecutors, as well as practitioners from the enforcement agencies attached to the Interior and Environment Ministries, with a spill-over effect to another 400 on minimum. It contributes to sustainable development in all the countries of the region, thus benefitting all relevant state institutions as well as the whole population.

Policy marker: are used to identify, assess and facilitate the monitoring of activities in support of policy objectives concerning gender equality, aid to environment, participatory development/good governance, trade development and reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health. Activities targeting the objectives of the Rio Conventions include the identification of biodiversity, climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, and desertification.

1= policy is a significant objective of the activity

2= policy is the principal objective of the activity

Donor/ source of funding: The ADA is not only implementing projects and programmes of the Austrian Development Cooperation , but also projects funded from other sources and donors such as

AKF - Foreign Disaster Fund of the Austrian federal government

BMLFUW - Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water

EU - Funds of the European Commission

Others - various other donors are listed in ADA’s annual business report.

Type of Aid – Aid modalities: classifies transfers from the donor to the first recipient of funds such as budget support, core contributions and pooled programmes and funds to CSOs and multilateral organisations, project-type interventions, experts and other technical assistance, scholarships and student costs in donor countries, debt relief, administrative costs and other in-donor expenditures.

Purpose/ sector code: classifies the specific area of the recipient’s economic or social structure, funded by a bilateral contribution.

Tied/Untied: Untied aid is defined as loans and grants whose proceeds are fully and freely available to finance procurement from all OECD countries and substantially all developing countries. Transactions are considered tied unless the donor has, at the time of the aid offer, clearly specified a range of countries eligible for procurement which meets the tests for “untied” aid.